Pipe bender



Feb. 23, 1943.' ,1 L PARKER ETA, 2,312,122

PIPE BENDER Filed March 5l, 1941 Haro/PNE W5 Patented Feb. 23, 1943 PIPE BENDER Arthur L. Parker and Henry E. Hull, Cleveland, 0h19; said Hull assignor to said Parker Application Marcil 31, 1941, serial No. '386,224

l Claims.

The invention related to new and useful improvements in a pipe bending machine of the type shown and described in the application led jointly by Arthur L. Parker and Henry E. Hull,

January 16, 1940, Serial No. 314,042, which matured into Patent No. 2,306,221, dated December 22, 1942.

An object of the invention is to provide iuid operated motors for rotating the pipe bending radius block for the bending operation and for returning the radius block to its initial position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a uid operated motor for retracting the anvil after the pipe has been bent to the desired shape.

A still further object of the invention is .to provide a controlled mechanism for shutting off the fluid and stopping the motor when the pipe has been bent to a desired angle.

In th'e drawing:

Figure 1 is a View partly in plan and partly in section showing a bending machine embodying the improvements.

Hgure 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of the bending machine illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an end view of same.

in the drawing, the radius block indicated at I is of the construction shown in the application referred to above. Said block is mounted on a shaft i2. Instead of securing the radius to a plate attached to the shaft in the illustrated construction, the radius block is splined to the shaft so that it may be readily removed and a block of a different radius substituted therefore. Associated with this radius block is a clamping block el which clamps the end of the pipe indicated at T against the radius block so that during the rotation of the radius block the pipe vwill be bent around the radius block so as to. conform `to the shaping of the peripheral portion of the radius block. Also associated with the radius block. i

is a guide block 6 which contacts with the pipe' and moves with the pipe during the bending thereof. These parts are similar in construction to those shown in the application referred to above and further detailed description thereof is not thought necessary.

The shaft 2 carrying the radius block l is mounted in suitable bearings in the supporting frame so that it rotates about a vertical axis.v

Mounted on the shaft 2 is a sprocket wheel l. Running over the sprocket wheel 1 is a sprocket chain 8. One end of the sprocket chain 8 is connected to a piston rod 9 attached to a piston mounted for reciprocating in a cylinder I0. The end of the cylinder through which the piston rod 9 extends is connected with a fluid supply pipe` Il. 'Ihe other end is vented to the atmosphere. This fluid motor is of the usual construction and further detailed description thereof is not thought necessary.

The otherend of the sprocket chain 8 is connected to a piston rod i2 which in turn is connected to a piston mounted for reciprocation in a cylinder I3. This cylinder is supplied with fluid from a pipe i4.

As shown in Figure l, the pipe has been bent or curved to the desired angle and during this bending operation the radius block rotated in a clockwise direction. Fluid was admitted to the cylinder i3 which forced the piston therein to the left hand end of the cylinder as viewed in Figure 1. This pulled on the sprocket chain and rotated the radius block in the direction stated. The radius block is returned to its .initial position by directing fluid into the cylinder litso that the piston therein will move to the left hand end of the cylinder.

Fluid is supplied from a reservoir or sump indicated at i5 in the drawing. A pump I6 of any desired construction is used for drawing the iluid through the line il from the sump or reservoir and 4for discharging the fluid under pressure into the line it?. The pump is driven by a motor iii. The supply pipe i3 is connected to a pipe 20 which in turn is connected to a valve casing 2t in which is located a valve 22. An arm 23 attached to the valve serves as a means for turning the same. This arm is connected to a rod 2G mounted for endwise reciprocation in a supporting bearing 25. 'The rod is provided with a handle 26. The end of the rod adjacent to the handle 25 is bent laterally as indicated at 2l' in FiguresZ and 3. Mounted on the shaft 2 and rotating therewith is a graduated control disc 28. This disc has mounted thereon stop arms 29 and 30 which may be adjusted on the disc to any desired set position. As shown in Figure l, this stop arm 29 has moved Ywith the radius disc until it was brought into Contact with the laterally bent end of the rod 2li and this shifted the valve I to the position shown in thedrawing. Inv this position, the iiuid from the pipe line iii is neither delivered to the pipe line it nor the pipe line l I. Therefore, the fluid motor i3 stops in this position as shown in Figure 1.

When the valve 22 is turned through a 90 angle in a clockwise direction, then the pipe 20 is connected to the pipe irl and uid will fiow to the motor I3. This was the setting of the valve which brought about the bending operation. The stop arm 29, as noted, contacted with the rod 24 and shifted the valve in a counter clockwise direction to the position shown. If the-handle is grasped and the rod pushed further downward, the valve will be turned so as to connect the fluid supply pipe 20 with the pipe il and this will c ause the piston in the motor I0 to move to the leftand turn the radius block in a counter clockwise direction. When the radius block is returned to its initial position, then the stop arm 30 contacting with the bent endof the rod will lift the arm and bring the valve back to the stop position shown in Figure 1.

In order to bend the pipe around the radius block without collapsing the pipe at the immediate point of bending. an anvil 3l is inserted in the pipe so as to bring the end of the anvil-to the point in the pipe where the bending is to take place. The anvil is connected to a piston rod 32 attached to a piston mounted for reciprocation in a, cylinder 33. Fluid is supplied through the pipe 34 to the cylinderN for moving the piston to the left and this will retract the anvil from its forward position.

Fluid may be supplied from the line 35 to the opposite end of the cylinder 33 for moving the anvil forward. There is means associated with each of the fluidmotors for providing for the exhaust of the fluid therefrom and the return of same to the sump, or reservoir I5. There is a pipe 36 extending from the valve casing 2I to the sump I5. When the valve is set so as to direct the fluid from the line I8 and then to the pipe I4, then the pipe 36 is connected to the pipe II. As the piston moves to the left in the fluid motor I3 the piston in the fluid motor IIJ will move to the right through the pull of the sprocket chain thereon and the uid will be exhausted through the line II and the pipe I4 to the sump.

Likewise, when lfluid is furnished the motor I0 by a setting of the valve so as to connect the pipe II with the pipe 20, then the pipe 36 is connected to the pipe I4.

The fluid for operating the motor 33 which moves the mandrel is controlled by a valve 31 which is hand-operated. When the valve is in the position shown in Figure 1, then the pipe I8 is connected to the pipe 34 and fluid is furnished to the right hand end of the uid motor 33 for retracting the anvil. At this time the pipe 35 is connected to the pipe 38 which leads to the sump or supply reservoir. By shifting the valve 31, the pipe 35 may be connected to a supply line 30 and when so shifted then the pipe 34 will be connected through the pipe 38 with the sump.

It is thought that the. operation of the pipe bendingrnachine is obvious from the description given. Starting with the position of the parts as shown in Figure 1, the pipe is bent to proper from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.`

We claim:

1. A pipe bending machine comprising aradius block, a shaft connected to the radius block for rotating the same, a clamping block for securing the pipe end to the radius block, fluid oper-` ated means for rotating the shaft, for bending the pipe and for returning the radius block to its initial set position, and a valve mechanism for directing operating fluid to the operatingmeans, a controlled disc mounted on shaft, stop arms adjustableron said disc and means operated by said stop arms for shifting the valve mechanism so as to shut off the operating fluid when the radius block has turned through a predetermined desired angle and for shutting off the fluid when the radius block has returned to its initial set position.

2. A pipe bending machine comprising a radius block, a shaft connected to the radius block for rotating the same, a clamping block for securing the pipe end to the radius block, fluid-operated means for rotating the shaft for bendingthe pipe, a valve .mechanism for directing operating fluid to the operating means, a control means mounted on said shaft and moving therewith including an adjustablestop arm, and means operated by said stop arm for shifting the valve mechanism so as to shut off the operating iluid when the radius block is turned through a predetermined desired angle.

' 3. A pipe bending machine comprising a radius block, a shaft connected'to the radius block for rotating the same, a clamping block for securing the pipe end to the radius block, a sprocket wheel mounted on said shaft, a sprocket chain running over said sprocket wheel, a fluid operating motor connected to one end of the sprocket chain for rotating the radius block for bending the pipe, a means connected to the other shape and in order to remove the pipe from the y machine, the motor 33 i's connected with the fluid supply line so that,.-the anvil will be re-` tracted, that ismov edl away from the bending.

the radius block to its ini-'tial2 set position. A.

pipe to be bent is inserted onithe. anvil and the radius block and guide bl'cklbrought up into` operative vposition relativethereto. Then the operatorturns the valve 22 so as to direct iluid O through the motor I3 and this Willi-cause the radius block, to turn in a clockwise direction and bend the pipe. The extent to which the pipe is lbent is determined by the setting of the stop arm 29. If the stop arm is set as shown in Figure l, then the pipe will be bent through an'angle of v180 and the machine will automatically stop.

It is obvious that many changes in' the detailsA of construction may be made without departing end of the chain for returning the radius block to its initial set position, a valve mechanism f or directing operating 'fluid to the fluid motor, a control means mounted on said shaft and mov ing therewith including an adjustable stop arm and means operated byA said stop arm for shifting the valve mechanism so as to shut'ofi the operating fluidfwhen the radius block is turned through a pre-determined desired angle.

4. A pipe bending machine comprising a radius block, a shaft connected to the radiusblock for rotating the same, a clamping block for securingr the pipe end to the radius block, a sprocket wheel mounted on said shaft, a sprocket chain running over said sprocket wheel, a nuid operating motor connected to one endl of the sprocket chain for 'rotating the radius blockfor bending' the pipe, a

fluid motor connected to the other end of the sprocket chain for rotating the radius block to return it to initial 1position, a valve mechanism for. directing operating fluid selectively to the fluid motors, a control disk mounted on said shaft, stop arms adjustable on the disk and means operated by said stoparmsfor shifting the valve mechanism so as to shut off the operating fluid when the radius block has turned through a pre-determined desired angley and for shutting off the iiuid when the radius block has returned to its initial'set position.

ARTHUR L. PARKER. 

